


Strings

by WolfaMoon



Category: Maleficent (2014)
Genre: Animal Transformation, Caring, F/M, Fledglings, Friendship, Gift Exchange, Gift Giving, Protectiveness, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-01 17:55:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19182841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfaMoon/pseuds/WolfaMoon
Summary: In Secret of NIMH, The Crow, Jeremy is obsessed with string and sparkly things. I wondered if Diaval has the same affinity. And here it is.





	Strings

Strings  
BY: Wolfa Moon  
Summary: In Secret of NIMH, The Crow, Jeremy is obsessed with string and sparkly things. I wondered if Diaval has the same affinity. And here it is.  
Disclaimer: Nope

~Strings~

Diaval flew back to report how the growing Aurora is doing. Maleficent watches him glide to the branch beside her. Her eyebrow lifting at the braided thread around his neck. Moving to take it off him he steps back from her.  
“Diaval, if I turn you back with it on it will break or choke you.” Diaval looks away than back thinking the options over. Moving toward her he bows his head. Removing the necklace of thread she stares at it in one hand while her other flicks and turns him into a man.  
“May I have it back, please.” Diaval’s hand is held out a hare breath away from the hand holding the braid.  
“Where did you get it?”  
“The fledgling made it for me.” Maleficent looks at him seeing his fright of what she will do with the trinket of thread.   
“The Beasty made this?”  
“Yes,” his moves from foot to foot.  
“Hold out you hand.” He does immediately. “Where did she get the string?” Diaval looks frightened lowering his head than looking up at his mistress.  
“From me. Ravens love string and trinkets. So does myy.. The fledgling.” She turns her eyes on him and placing the thread around his hand and letting it rest on his wrist. He pulls it close to him.  
“She is not your fledgling.”  
“Who takes care of her? We do, not those … aunties.”  
“Where do you get the strings?”  
“On my travels to the kingdom. The clothes makers and washers are the worst gossip hounds. There is always strings laying around.” He twists the thread on his wrist. “She is a talented fledgling.”  
“Diaval, she is not….”  
“She may not but she has become apart of me as this form has.” Gesturing to his human self. “How did she twine the strings?”  
“She braided them.”  
“Oh,” he nods.  
“Do you have anymore string?”  
“Um,” he looks to his nest in a tree near her very own. She flicks her wrist and he is a bird. The bracelet almost falls to the ground but he swoops grabbing it and landing on the ground. Cawing at her he flies up the previous branch he perched on and set it down. Looking to his nest he flies up and grabs about 12 strings in his beak before coming down. Maleficent holds out her hand taking the strings and starts sorting through them as she changes him back and he grabs the gift placing it back on his wrist.   
“Some of these have gold elements in them.”  
“Yes, they shine pretty.”  
“These threads are for royal cloths.”  
“Well she is a princess.” Maleficent nods as she picks three stings. None of them with gold. The ones she picks are greens like the trees. Handing him back the other string he holds them tightly in his hand.   
Diaval watched as she took the string and places a loop on one end securing the strings together. Then she begins to show him how to braid the string. Once she was done she looks to Diaval. He picks the golden strings. Maleficent smiles as he picks the gold ones and a black ones. She ties them to form a loop and smiles as Diaval tries to copy what she had done.   
“This is very problematic.”  
“Take your time.” She continues with her own braid. Diaval concentrates hard on his task. Finishing her braid she ties it and shows him. He tilts his head smiling at it.   
“Very pretty.” He says turning back to his own. Finishing he looks to Maleficent. “How do I tie the knot?” Maleficent comes over and shows him. He nods as she does the first one. Giving it to him to tie a second. He does and sets his braid down to grab some more strings. There is a gold, green and black string. He sets about to do what he just learned again.  
Maleficent watches at the concentration on the raven’s face. It’s cute how he takes so much care with the strings. She knew of the baubles that raven collect. Learning that her wings had such a collection in his nest makes her curious.   
“Here,” Diaval holds out his second attempt to Maleficent.  
“What do you want me to do with it?”  
“Wear it.” She takes the braided string from him.   
“Why would I wear it?” Diaval looks taken aback by her words. Pulling his hand back he looks to the one circling his wrist from his fledgling. True the child only knew his beautiful self but than to be rejected in his human form. Wondering if she had left him a bird would she have accepted? Diaval looks to the two braids he made. Maybe the fledgling would like both of them. “Diaval, give it here.” He looks to the braid he made for her.  
“I don’t want you to take it out of pity.”  
“I am not.” She holds up the one she made. “Give me your wrist.” Stepping toward her he watches cautiously as he gives her his wrist. She ties the one she made beside Aurora’s. Smiling at the bird’s words of calling her a fledgling. “Now,” she holds her’s out. Looking at her wide eyes he ties the second one around her wrist. “You did very well, Diaval.”  
“Thank you for teaching me.” Smiling at the golden one in his hand for the fledgling.   
“Why are strings so important to raven’s?”  
“They are used in making nest. And the more beautiful the nest the more a female may want to um… make more fledglings.”  
“And have you ever had fledgling?”  
“No, I am still too young.”  
“How old are you?” She never thought to ask. If he has not breed yet than he is almost as young as Aurora in human years.   
“I… I know if I were still a wild raven I would have had fledglings already.” What did she take away form him? “But I don’t think many of my kind look at me as if I were a bird anymore and they talk.”  
“They talk?”  
“They wonder how can any female compare to such a bird of prey such as yourself. And they also say how can I be a good breeder when all I know how to help raise are two legged kind.” Diaval fiddles with the two bracelets of string. “Thank you, Mistress.”   
Maleficent smiles at him as he fiddles with the strings.  
“You’re welcome. And tomorrow when I send you off I’ll place them around your neck.”  
“Both of them?”  
“If you wish.”  
~~~  
The next morning she changed Diaval into a bird and he flew off for a day to watch Aurora. His braided gold string in his beak he flies to her. Maleficent watches as he hops to Aurora’s shoulder.   
“Hello my pretty bird. Is this for me?” He drops the string in her waiting palm. “This is beautiful, And braided, how lovely.” She tries to tie it around her wrist but can’t. Diaval grabs one end to help her tie the string on. “Such a clever bird.” She pets his back. Then her hands go to braided strings around his neck. “Where did this come from pretty bird?” she fingers the forest green one. “Is this from a ladybird friend?” Diaval shakes his head no. “Is it a secret?” He shakes his head again before grabbing some of her gold hair. “Okay, okay, we can play.”  
~~~~  
Aurora has grown more and has been visiting the moors whenever she can get free of her aunties. Wandering in she spies Diaval playing with some string and giving it to some fairies. Prancing over she sits by him. Holding up her wrist she shows him the gold braided string.  
“I still have mine.” He lifts the sleeve off his arm and shows his two. They share a smile. “So is the other one fairy godmother’s?”  
“Yes,” he answers. Picking up some string he holds them out to her. Taking it she begins to braid the strings together.  
“Is she your mate?” Diaval stops picking several strings before looking at her.  
“No,” he shakes his head.  
“But you call me fledgling?” Diaval wants to deny his found word for her. But he had called her that affection on some occasions as they explored the Moore. “Am I your little bird?”  
“You have and will always be my fledgling. But I am not your father.”  
“No. I gather so. But you are mine as I am yours.” She finishes with the string and tying knots so the string can have more than just braids. Grabbing his wrist she ties it next to the other ones. Leaning into him she looks up. “What is it like to fly?”  
Aurora sits bouncing as Diaval describes flying.   
~~  
Maleficent has gotten her wings back and her revenge. Returning to the throne room to see Diaval still fighting the soldiers. His body standing over Aurora in protection.   
“Enough!” the fighting stops at her voice. “Your king is dead. Long live your queen.” The soldiers look to Maleficent who is bowing to Aurora. Aurora looks around in shock. Diaval lays his head down beside her. She grins at him and pets between his ears of his dragon body. The soldiers stand and move toward her to protect and this has Diaval lifting his head and growling at them. He opens his mouth to breath fire on them. This has the guards ready their weapons again.  
“Lower your weapons,” Aurora commands stepping in front of Diaval’s flame filled mouth. Her aura radiates golden through the red fire behind her. She stands tall till the guards lower their weapons. She turns to Diaval. “It’s okay.” He closes his mouth but brings his head astride her again showing his place. This has the guards still wary. Yet some shriek when Maleficent moves to stand beside Aurora and turns Diaval into a man. Maleficent just smiles at the frightened men. Diaval coughs a few times but maintains his post.  
~~~~  
Diaval sits upset in human atop one of the castle-fortified towers. That is where Maleficent finds him flying down beside him.  
“What is wrong?” Maleficent asks. Aurora is queen. The moors are open. She has given him free will to shift as he pleases.  
“I lost my strings.” He holds up his empty wrist. “I must have lose them in our adventure in saving Aurora.”  
“I believe our fledgling would understand.”  
“But I’ve had them for so long my wrist feels naked without them.”  
“Shall I conjure you replacements?”  
“No,” he says with force than remembers himself. “No, Thank you mistress.” Diaval walks off slowly back inside the castle. They had remained in the castle to keep Aurora safe. Many of the inhabitants giving them a wide berth.   
Looking for Aurora, Maleficent finds her looking at clothes that were her mother’s. Her real birth mother.  
“Aren’t they gorgeous?” Aurora asks as she steps into the room.  
“There are very fitting for a queen.”  
“What is wrong?”  
“Diaval.” This has the young queen’s full attention. “He is upset that he lost the braided strings you gave him.”  
“Oh, I can make him a new one. I am sure he would like that.”  
“I know he would but…”  
“What is it?”  
“We consider you ours. And that string meant more than he is letting on.”  
“Than I will get the finest of string and make him the best braided strings ever.”  
“I think he would like that.” Maleficent smiles at the Beasty.  
~~~  
Aurora found Diaval sitting on a court bench reading a book.  
“I didn’t know you can read.” Aurora says stepping closer to the Raven man.  
“I learned from watching your father lessons.”  
“From when you were a spy for fairy god mother.” He nods. “I made you something.”  
“You didn’t have to.” She sits down beside him.  
“I did.” She holds out a braided bracelet of black leather cord, thin gold metal, and a strip of blue silk. Holding it out for him he examines it. “Fairy god mother told me of the lost and I wanted you to not worry. I’m glad I am still here and that you are here too. Give me your wrist.” Diaval moves his bare wrist out to her. She scoots over next to him. Looping the long sting twice around his wrist before tying them. “I was assured by the metal workers that the gold is thin like string and strong as metal. The silk will keep it soft and is a surprisingly strong material. And the black sting is a leather cord. I hope you like it.” Diaval plays with it.  
“I will never take it off, I promise.”  
“Only if to save my life or yours.” She reminds him of the first braid sacrifice.  
“I promise.”  
“Good.” Aurora smiles at Diaval giving him a hug. “Do you want to play?”  
“Always.”

~~~ The ~ End ~~~


End file.
